Cause and effect
by Aurora-cs
Summary: Rose gets hurt, but in the end it's the Doctor who suffers. 9th Doctor and Rose.


Rose shifted her body on the bed and realised she was lying down.

What had happened?

She tried to remember, and disjointed flashes came back to her - landing here, going to explore in a strange city and meeting up with a group of people in trouble; she remembered some sort of confrontation and attack, and then nothing.

"Urgh..." she groaned, forcing her eyes open. They were met by an off white ceiling of a room very reminiscent of a hospital back home, but the pale green skinned alien that entered the room made it clear that this wasn't Earth in any way. She was vaguely humanoid, but possessed four arms instead of two and had hair of a darker tinge than the skin that ran more than halfway down her back, tied up with ribbons.

After being helped into her clothes and her memory rapidly returning, Rose was given an explanation. They'd been helping with a situation between two rival factions, but one of those who had lost out tried to attack the Doctor in the street, and then she remembered jumping in front of him. Apparently she had been poisoned, and brought here, where they had waited until it left her body...

"...two weeks?" Rose exclaimed, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, a little surprised that she didn't feel dizzy or ill at all.

"The poison has been eliminated from your body, there will be no further effects"

Rose paused, a thought occurring to her "Where's the Doctor?"

"Your friend?" the alien paused "I believe he went to get refreshment - we have tried to convince him of the need to rest and recharge, but he refuses at every turn"

Rose cursed "Stupid git"

"Git?" the alien frowned "Is this an offensive term"

"Well, it means he's being an idiot"

The alien nodded "Ah, I understand"

"I'd better go find him".

The hospital was a maze of rooms and corridors, but compared to the TARDIS it was simple to navigate.

She turned a corner and spotted him.

He was standing in front of a vending machine, trying to get himself a drink. Even from this distance she could tell he was exhausted; his body was hunched, shoulders sagged, and face drawn and unfocused. He pulled some money from his pocket, and missed the slot several times before succeeding, and then did the same selecting something to drink. It hurt Rose to watch him - the man who had saved her life on more than a few occasions, who piloted a ship that could pass through space and time and was insufferable beyond belief - reduced to this.

She couldn't stand it any more when he fumbled to actually drink it. He didn't even hear her, and not until she put both hands on his shoulders and whispered his name, did he even show any signs of recognition. Then all at once, his features picked up - the dull eyes that focused on her brightened significantly and widened with a mixture of shock, surprise and joy.

"Rose..." he choked hoarsely, then swallowed, lifting his free hand to touch her face. It was the need, Rose understood, to convince himself that she was real, and she kept still as his hand brushed over her cheeks, his fingertips making her shudder almost impeccably. Then she noticed that it wasn't her, but his hand; the other was doing the same, and she took the drink from him before he spilled it.

"Hey" she smiled, as he let his hand drop back to the side and let out a shuddering breath.

"I..." he swallowed "...you had us all worried"

"Had you worried I bet" she gave another smile which made him smile this time as well.

"I'll admit that" he stopped again, and ran his hand over his face.

Rose ran a critical look over him - with the closer observation she could see the tired lines in his face, the drooped eyelids which were half lidded, how his hands were still trembling uncontrollably. He looked - she put it simply - like a complete and utter wreak.

"Come on" she urged, pulling him by the sleeve until he seemed to respond "You need some sleep, and I don't need that bed anymore"

He didn't move.

"I'll tie you down if I have to" she warned "Come on!"

"Actually" the Doctor said faintly "The floor looks comfortable right now"

And then, he promptly passed out.

* * *

Rose was sitting by the bed when he woke up a few hours later, exceedingly groggy and able to feel the drip in his arm.

She noticed his movement, and squeezed the hand he hadn't even sensed she had been holding.

"Sorry..." he looked shamefaced "I..."

"Nah, don't worry about it" she waved him off with the other hand "Though you have been a complete and utter idiot! Why didn't you rest?"

He looked reluctant to say it, but the look she gave him convinced him enough to talk "until the poison was completely out of your system, we didn't know if you'd survive"

"And you never left me?"

"I couldn't..." he murmured "If you died..." he swallowed uncomfortably "I had to be there...I've taken you away from your home, your family...the only thing in common wherever we go is the TARDIS and me, and I'm the only one who could sit with you... if you woke up, I wanted to be there..." he fell silent, but his eyes betraying more than he could say "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" Rose was confused.

"For getting you into this, for you being poisoned, and for this"

"You **are** an idiot, you know that" Rose was annoyed and angry, but not just at him "I went along of my own free will, from Earth and to this place, I agreed that we needed to help, and I was the one who pushed you out of the way" she squeezed his hand "As for this, if it'd been you instead of me, I wouldn't have left either"

She brushed his hair back.

"You scared me for a couple of hours, I sat here while they told me you were running yourself into the ground, and you were dehydrated and all that, they've put that drip in you for a bit, and you've got to get some proper sleep and no more daring rescues for a while" Rose gave a half smile "I was worried sick about you just now, but you did all that for two weeks!" she shook her head "I should be saying sorry for worrying you!"

"Quits then?" he smiled, and she felt a lot better, seeing that impish grin make his way onto that face again.

"Just don't make me worry like that again" she warned "You went down like a sack of potatoes back there"

"I'll try" the Doctor said solemnly, but his eyes glinted with mirth.

He yawned.

Rose rolled her eyes and laughed "Get some sleep, you silly git"

"We'll go get some chips later, okay?"

"Sleep" she ordered gently, pushing him back into the bed. He protested for a moment, but the pillows were so comfortable to his head, and his entire body sinking into the soft mattress that he felt his eyes drawing shut of their own accord and the world dissolving into a haze of colours and shapes. His body took on a feeling like pins and needles, then his awareness began to dim. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of a cover pulled over him, and some words he couldn't concentrate enough to make sense of, before he fell asleep.

And there were no nightmares.

**

* * *

Authors note: **Want to know something funny? - I've not actually watched any of the new series yet, I've seen a few clips and the beginning of the first, but not an entire episode, so the blame for this and the drabble I've written are on you lot! I've had this idea in my head for a while but was inspired by Jillybean's 'Intergalactic Playboy' to write it down. All the stories here seem to be Doctor angst, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon. 

Actually, another funny thing is that I've seen a few episodes of Doctor Who otherwise, all with Tom Baker, so I guess I'm a newbie :p I'm debating writing another story with a character of mine from some other stories making an appearance - she's a dimensional traveller, so it should be interesting - plenty of Doctor torture planned - should I write it?

**Disclaimer: **Doctor Who is (c) BBC, though I'm adopting him as a muse


End file.
